


ashes to ashes

by Pagea



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: F/M, Other, Reset au, sfw aside for mild language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2018-07-15 09:31:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7217014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pagea/pseuds/Pagea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“my love, he sleeps in the ocean, lest he catch fire and burn the sky to nothing”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. cough

You were just another vendor, earning your credits by mending worker's neckties. You had no family that you knew of or remembered, but you never felt scared or alone. You just felt like something was... missing.  
Your workplace was the library in Zone 2, and you enjoyed it there. It was quiet and your job was easy. Sometimes you'd make small talk with your clients, who all consisted of this strange world's main residents: the Elsens. The Elsens, small and pale and nervous, would be amusing to speak to, but not much else. To be honest, you were a bit lonely. You had no recollection of anything before... this, and you spoke to few besides the Elsens and the Judge, a rather peculiar but kind and intelleligent, cat. And, of course, the main item merchant, Zacharie, who for some reason, you'd never seen without a mask.  
One day, he'd stopped by your station and greeted you with interesting news.

 

"Good day, (y/n). Have I informed you yet of Valerie's behavior?" Zacharie walked up to your desk, where a few papers were scattered about. He was referring to The Judge's brother.  
"Behavior?" You said distractedly, sewing up a tie.  
"Yes, he has been acting peculiar lately. The Judge has informed me that he travels through this Zone, claiming to be the guardian." He waited for a response. You gave none.  
Zach continued. "I would advise against confronting Valerie until Pablo manages a conversation with him." Pablo was The Judge's real name.  
"All right. Thank you for the news."  
"Not a problem. Tips are always appreciated." He added.  
You smirked. Never a conversation with Zacharie during which he did not ask for money. You sighed and handed him a single credit. 

"Merci." Zach adjusted the mask on his face before walking away, leaving you to your work.  
You yawned and looked at the door, which lead to the main library. Glancing down at the mended tie, you figured you could take a break, perhaps browse through some books at the library. It had been a slow week, after all. You were about to stand up and do so when an Elsen quickly approached your desk.  
"Hhhh...hello. My tie. It..." He peered down at his shirt, his black tie ripped. Barely, you thought to yourself. A quick fix.  
You gestured for him to hand the tie to you, but he simply stood there, rocking back on his heels.  
"Ahem." You cleared your throat. His dark eyes widened and he awkwardly pulled at his collar.  
"I... I don't know how to take it off." The Elsen inhaled sharply as if expecting to be scolded.  
You held back an amused snort. "Pfft. All right. I'll do it for you."  
The Elsen made grateful eye contact with you before you made your way around the desk. For a split second, you got a good look at this particular customer. He was slightly taller than the other Elsens, which meant he was only a tiny bit shorter than you. He had short, messy white hair and his shirt was untucked. His face was more symmetrical than some of the other Elsens. Frankly, you found him somewhat attract... Intriguing. You shook your head rabidly. Agh, ridiculous, being interested in an Elsen. You had a job to do; you'd probably never see him again after returning his tie, like all the others. You dismissed your realization that meeting but never seeing someone again was somewhat depressing if you thought about it long enough. You quickly wrapped your fingers around the tie, forcing yourself to think nothing of it. In one quick motion, you pulled the knot at the top of his collar and the tie fell into your hands.  
The Elsen stared at you in awe.  
"How did you do that?" He said in a childlike manner, and you'd never admit how adorable it was. He grabbed your wrists and studied your hands for a few seconds, then, when he looked up and saw the expression on your face, released them quickly, rabidly wiping his hands on his black jeans.  
"I'm so sorry!" He squeaked. "That was very unprofessional of me... hhh...!"  
Quickly, you held your wrists up. "It's fine, I'm fine, see?"  
Relief flooded into his face. "S...still. I shouldn't have... I'm very sorry, Miss..." He trailed off, realized he didn't know your name.  
"(Y/n)." You said helpfully, introducing yourself. "And your name would be..?"  
He stared at you. "My name? It's... hhh... " He looked around the library, as if an answer was written on the dark walls.

Suddenly, a cough was heard, likely from the librarian Elsen. Librarians were surrounded by dusty books, after all.  
It seemed to give the Elsen at your station an idea. "Cough! O-or Goff. Yes, Goff. T-that's my name, all right. Heh. Hhh."  
You surpressed a snicker. Secretly, you were happy that the Elsen.... that Goff had made an effort to answer you. Some may have simply glanced away upon hearing an invitation of conversation. "That's a nice name. Nice to meet you, Goff."  
He seemed flustered by your friendliness, and tried to pull on his tie, only to remember it wasn't there; instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets.  
"Nnn.... Nice to meet you too."  
"I'll have your tie ready in half an hour.'  
"All.... All right. T-thank you, (y/n)." He stumbled away, the smallest grin on his face.  
You glanced after him, then forced yourself to look down at his slightly damaged necktie. Right. You had a job to do.


	2. Late

You'd always prided yourself on being on time; in exactly half an hour, the tie was good as new, but Goff was nowhere to be found. You tapped the desk at your station absentmindedly and allowed yourself to daydream for a moment.  
Staring at but not really seeing the bookshelf at the far end of the room, your thoughts drifted back to Goff. What pushed him into your thoughts in the first place was an absolute mystery. Why did you feel this way? You've only known him for half an hour, dammit.  
"Hola?" A hand waved in front of your face, and you shot backwards in your swivel seat in surprise.  
"Zach, you sonnuva-"  
"Watch your language. You never know who's listening." He interrupted mysteriously. You rolled your eyes in annoyance. "What's on your mind, amigo? You had taken no notice of my presence for a good few minutes."  
"Nothing." You said quickly.   
Zach smirked underneath his mask, and for a moment lost his prim English. "I am currently detecting high levels of absolute bullshit."  
So much for avoiding profanity. "Fuck off, hypocrite." You whisper-yelled, seeing as you were in a library; screaming would not be a good idea. Zach snickered again and regained his proper dialect.   
"A hypocrite I am not. And if I am, at the very least I am honest in terms of expressing my feelings."  
"Hhh." A slightly familiar gasp echoed in the walls.  
You glanced behind Zach to see Goff timidly enter the library.  
"Shut up please. God, for once, shut up." You whisper-yelled again. He cocked his head, but obeyed. Slowly, he turned around to see what- or rather, who- you were intently watching. You were almost certain his eyebrows shot up inside the mask, judging by the way his eyes visibly widened.   
"Whilst I cannot say I have not had any homosexual attractions or relationships before, I can indeed see the appeal in this particular Elsen. Or rather, the reason for your interest."   
"Fu-u-uckk youuuuuu..." You gave a long, drawn out fake cough.  
Not his feelings in the least injured, he laughed again, but exited the library swiftly enough.  
Seeing Zach leave, Goff promptly approached you, wringing his hands.  
"Is it ready yet? T-the tie. My tie." He muttered.  
"Uh-huh." You quickly handed it to him, ignoring the tingling feeling in your hands as they briefly touched his. "Do you need me to tie it for you?"  
"Actually, uh... I borrowed up a book on how to do that!" He said, a glimmer of pride in his dark eyes.  
"There are books on how to tie ties?"   
"It... took some searching, I guess."   
"Well, good on you. I'm proud."  
"R-really?!" Excitement lit up his face. "You're proud? Of me? N-no one could ever be...hhheh. Dedan never... would never..." He trailed off as he struggled to loop the tie properly around his shirt collar, a task he'd spent the entire past half hour reading about in order to do. He looked up in dismay.  
Without acknowledging his reddening ears and face, you tied the proper knot around his neck in a matter of seconds. He turned away, ashamed, placing credits in your hand for your service.  
"Hey, it's fine." You said, trying to sound reassuring. "I mean, reading an entire book a matter of 30 minutes is no small feat."  
"I... didn't read all of it. M-maybe that's why I messed up. I'm sorry." He said with sincere sadness.  
You tried to keep a straight face. Elsens took things like this incredibly, comically seriously. "Don't be sorry. This is my job to do, after all."  
"Job." He repeated. "Job... Oh no. I'm missing my work. The smoke mines. Dedan's gonna... I'm sorry."  
"Don't be." You smiled, waving him away. God, he was adorable.  
"O-okay. I have to go. You're very pretty but I have to go, I have to go, I'm so sorry, hhh... I will make you proud another day, okay? I'm sorry." He blurted out in one breath, then inhaled quickly, borderline gasping. He dashed off in the direction of the exit. 

Well. He... called you pretty.


	3. Y’ALL

hi guys i just organically remembered this account and WOWOW 8th grade me SURE had a thing for elsens lmfaooo

i may eventually continue this fic but i’ll have to get back in the swing of the game that this fic’s based on (OFF) so it’s def not gonna be anytime soon

i will however be publishing other works soon enough

hope all my viewers are alive and well since i last updated ( well over a year ago)

cheers x  
pagea


	4. the ocean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope this qualifies as an update lol

“Goooood morning,  _mi amigo_!” Zach whisper-shouted into your ear. Alarmed, you jerked up and back into your seat, slamming your neck against the back of it.

”Ow...” You rubbed your neck, meeting his masked eyes in annoyance. “Uneccesary, Zacharie. I was just resting.”

”Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t ever recall you requiring sleep during your...” He glanced around the quiet library, “...ever so exciting job.”

”I...” He was right; when _was_  the last time you’d napped at on shift...? Sure, the work was tedious, but it wasn’t like you never slept well afterwards. There... was never much going on besides work. “I don’t know. I had a hard time sleeping last night.”

“Do you recall why?” Zach pressed. “General insomnia, too much caffeine at work...”

Instinctively, you brought the mug of coffee at your desk to your lips, and Zach continued:

”Were you dreaming of Goff, perhaps?”

”?!?!” You did a real-life spit take, and Zach giggled like a schoolgirl, stepping out of the way of the blast. Nearby Elsens’ eyes were drawn up to your desk in curiousity.

”Ahahah... Perhaps we found our culprit.” 

”You little motherf- Zach that’s not- I hate you, I do.” You sputtered. “Give me a napkin or something.”

”I have none.”

”You’re a  _vendor,_ toad-boy.”

”Wow, no need for name-calling, dearest.” He sighed in defeat and pulls out a single paper towel. “That’ll be eight credi-“

You snatched it from his hand and he dropped his hand to his side, as though he expected no payment in the first place. Amicable silence followed for a few moments while you cleaned your desk.

”You know, (y/n), you’ve got a lot of  _feu en toi._ ”

”Fire in me... Thanks?” You replied with a raised eyebrow. You looked up to see him turning to the various Elsens around the library, and back to you. 

“I do hope you’re aware that’s not... not optimal for them.”

You cock your head. “How do you mean, amigo?” 

Zach remains silent for a moment more, then responded, “Ah, it means nothing. I’m just thinking aloud.” He checked a nonexistent watch on his wrist. “It is time for me to visit Sucre. I’d advise against sleeping on the job any further!” He adjusts his mask and waves himself off. “Au revoir, (y/n). See you tomorrow.”

”Yeah, okay, see you, toad-boy.”

”Adios, tie-girl.”

“That’s not an insult.”

”’Twas not meant to be! Why would I ever insult my second closest friend?” He tossed a final goodbye, “ _à plus tard_ ” over his shoulder and exited the library.

”Hey-wait, second clos...” You trailed off and nodded your head in acceptance. You and Zach might have been close, but you knew the toad-boy’s heart belonged to the sugar girl.

You sat back in your swivel chair and brought your knees to your chin, burying yourself in thought. Zacharie always knew how to finish a sentence, and when he withheld his thoughts, it usually meant it was something that made him sad. He was annoying, pretentious, and a show-off, but he loved to make people smile. You grinned a little, proud you were close enough to him that you knew that much about him. It mildly unnerved you that you knew something was bothering him, but there would surely be an opportunity to ask him about it tomorrow. 

Curling up in your seat, you lean your head against the frame and close your eyes for a moment.

* * *

_You become surrounded by nothing._

_Up, down, left, right, the sky is nowhere and the ground beneath your feet is invisible._

_You realized there is no ground because you were drowning._

_You heard Zacharie’s incoherent voice, in a tone very scared. It was an unfamiliar sound from your best friend, and your heart beat out of your chest, spilling into the ocean of nothing. You tasted your own metallic insides._

_You managed to make out four words from his cries:_

_”the batter is here”_

_Blackness fills your ears and you choke out a final breath before closing your eyes and sinking into whatever lies below you._


	5. dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y’all im back into OFF again yuh

“H-hey..! Are you okay?” A small voice jolted you awake.

_Thank the queen, I’m no heavy sleeper._

You rubbed your eyes and, without looking up, took a sip of plastic. It was lukewarm now, and you wrinkled your nose in disgust. “Fine, I’m fine, now, did you need a tie mended?” You glanced up to the person at your desk. “Oh! Hey, Goff. What brings you here?”

“I-I’m here to return the book. i had to go up the fourth floor to find it yesterday... I had never been there before." You watched him say this and realized he was unnerved by visiting somewhere so unfamiliar.

"It was my first time up there," Goff said uneasily. "hhh.. it was nothing... particularly special."

"Aw, you didn't have to go up there if it freaked you out," you replied affectionately.

He shook his head, pale hair falling into his eyes. “No, I-I wanted to learn. I’m glad this book w-was here.”

“That's one of the only books without any torn pages. That's why i keep it on the fourth floor. well..." you confessed to him, "Truthfully, I have taken almost all the intact books to my room for personal reading. The els— most who come here know no difference between the real and fake shelves. I kept that book in the library, just so I don't have to go all the way back home to retrieve it, in case I need to review sewing patterns and such."

"That’s sm-smart..” Goff offered earnestly.

“I like to think so,” You chuckled. “Anyway, thank you for returning it so quickly. I hope you enjoyed it.”

“I-I did. I don’t want to show you yet... how I tie my tie, that is. I-I’m still practicing.”

“Don’t worry about it. Practice makes perfect.” You would know, certainly.

“I’ll be going home now. Early day tomorrow. Like always..”

“Yeah, haha. Hang in there, Goff.”

“You.. too, (y/n). Sorry to see y-you’re having bad sleep..” He walked down the stairs silently and was gone in a flash, before you could respond.

_Second time I’ve slept at my desk today. At least business is slow today. As always. Well, at least I’m certain to not sleep again._

You knew you wouldn’t go back to sleep after a dream like that.


	6. pale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmfao sorry for the double chapter fail i’m still new to aooo despite bein here for 3+ gwafaghaha

“Yeah, I don’t know. It’s been weird.. I guess. I’ve never had nightmares like this before.” You conversed with your friends in the sugar cellar within Zone 0, the only place away from moody guardians and sour-faced cats. “Oh, by the way, Pablo.. How is your brother? I heard he was under the weather.”

You, Pablo, Zacharie, and Sucre often met and talked much about everything in this place. It felt safe, sacred almost, to have a place to yourselves, somewhere to go interrupt a sometimes tedious routine of existence. 

”Whilst I appreciate your inquiry, dear (y/n), I’m ashamed to say I’ve not taken an opportunity to speak with Valerie since you’ve been informed.” The Judge curled up in a corner. He sniffed a nearby pile of sugar, wrinkled his nose, and let out a sneeze. “If given the chance, please do tell him to come to Zone 0, away from prying eyes and ears. I must admit my concern for him is growing.”

”Of course.” You scratched behind his ears and he closed his eyes in bliss.

Sucre had an arm draped over Zacharie in a casual manner, and the pair leaned against a box, their legs crisscrossed and their knees touching.

”You know,” Zacharie mused. “We should really try to bring some furniture down here.”

Sucre nodded, a perpetual smile on her face. “Well, could we buy some from the Necessary Merchant?”

You snorted. “He’d hardly be inclined to lug a sofa down here.”

”A sentiment that rings true, however blunt.” Pablo concurred, cleaning his paws. 

Zacharie’s amused eyes met your own. “I’m sure you’d not be so quick to volunteer.”

”People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, toad-boy.” 

Sucre piped up, “What about the cat? He’s the laziest for sure.” She cocked her head, her short white bob brushing her shoulders.

”Mm, I suppose that’s not incorrect either.” A yawn escaped Pablo’s mouth, and you all laughed. 

“Ah, kitty, we’re all getting tired.” Sucre giggled. “I’m sure it’s getting dark anyway.” She turned to Zach and kissed his mask. He closed his eyes and let his head fall on her shoulder.

Pablo rolled his eyes. “Please, lovers, do wait until (y/n) and I have departed-”

”Oh, let them live, Pablo. You’re certainly not called the Judge for no reason.”

”Ooo.” Zach said.

The cat’s tail curled around his limbs. “Why so quick to jump to a defense of romance? You’ve never been inclined to do so before, certainly when it comes to those two.” His intelligent eyes reflected humor, but curiousity as well. “Perhaps you desire such affections yourself.”

”And there would be nothing wrong with that,” You replied, more defensively than you meant. “Um, well, I mean-“

Sucre snickered. “The miss has got the hots for soooooomebody.” She drawled.

”Ooo.” Zach said again.

“Oh, and who would that be?” 

Silence followed for a half-second.

”An  _elsen,_ of course.” Zach said confidently.

”Really?!” Sucre laughed a ringing laugh. “Ah, which one? They do all look the same. At least if you cheated, you could just say you didn’t tell them apart, miss!” 

“Ahahah,” Zach offered, “And if he got promoted to Alma, you could just kiss the closest one to you!” 

They laughed at your expense, and your face burned a bit. The Judge, while, yes, mildly judgemental, was considerate and kind, and he noticed your expression and addressed the giggling pair. 

“Friends, let’s not make so many assumptions. Firstly, (y/n) has not yet even clarified whether or not she does, in fact, house feelings for an Elsen. Secondly, I fail to see the humor in amusement at someone’s potential and newfound feelings for anyone, no matter how, er, synchronized the person may be with others of their kind.” 

“Sorry, miss,” Sucre said sheepishly. Hope that didn’t make you feel bad about your crush. I mean, Elsens could be cute, if they weren’t so scared of... of..”

”Everything,” Zach agreed. “But, be assured, amigo, our jokes were from a place of no malice.”

”It’s fine. Don’t worry. I should be heading back to Zone 1.” You stood abruptly and took to the stairs. You weren’t mad at them, really, but it really did sting how condescending they were towards any mention of even a potential relationship of yours.

”They mean no harm,” Pablo trailed behind you as you trekked up the steps.  “I suppose it’s just unfamiliar a concept to their liking.”

”What is an unfamiliar concept, exactly..?”

”You... eloping. You’d never come across as ‘that type of miss,’ to put it how Sucre would.”  He meowed.

“They expect me to be lonely forever? That’s my type?”

”One does not require courtship to be loved, my friend, take my word. I have my brother-”

”And I have?” You said shortly.

For once, Pablo seemed at a loss for words. A millisecond went by before he spoke, “Why, you have us!” He mewed earnestly.

You sighed, and squatted down to pet him. “I do, don’t I?” He purred, looking at you with great affection. 

“(Y/n), if you love someone, it’s up to no one else how you ultimately feel.” He meowed wisely.

You nodded. “I know, Pablo, thank you.” Taking quiet steps down the building and onto the foundation of the pristine Zone, you stepped into the nothingness to make your  way into the night back home.

 


	7. wind

“Yes, back in the olden days, they had these things called cigarettes.” Pablo read from the book at his paws “They were highly addictive.”

The weekend. Zach and Sucre were off together, and you and your feline friend had taken to the roof of the library, where the smoky wind melted into cool pink skies. You leaned against the border and peered over the building.  “Cigarettes, they’re called? So just extra smoke to breathe, right?”

“Except you’ve got an option to breathe it in, and it’s highly addictive, and ultimately dangerous to your health.”

“It’d give me something to do, yeah? Besides mending ties and clothes.” 

Pablo shook his head and scolded you, “An addiction is never something to be desired, my clothmaking companion.”

”Guess so. I’ve just been feeling... empty.”

”Please,” Pablo inquired, “Feel free to give your best of an explanation on your current emotions.”

”Lonely. I’m missing something, and I don’t know what.”

”Missing, you say?”

”I don’t know, really. It’s stupid. A stupid dumb crush.” Your eyes darted from the book to the floor. 

“My dear, to put it as simply as felinely possible- no feelings are stupid. You are feeling them for a reason, yes?”

”Hey, I’m sorry. I don’t really feel comfortable talking about it.”

The judge didn’t press you. “Well, may your troubled mind be settled, and, if not, perhaps a distraction is in order.” He rolled over, exposing his fluffy stomach. 

You reached out to pet it, and his ears flattened.

”My ears, please.” He mewed. 

“Then why did you..” You sighed and scratched his head and neck. He rumbled in satisfaction, and you leaned back against the short wall of the roof.

You let your head fall to your chest and your eyes fluttered shut.

_You are eating cigarettes. They are bitter and horrible and taste like how smokes smells. You spit at your feet, and the cigs burn up immediately. The remains pile up and up until you are facing a charred, black mess of a man. He is silent._

_“it’s time to pay recompense for your impurity” Another voice whispers in your ear, and you know it’s not from the burnt man. It is too sinister and cold for something that had come from a place of warmth._

_The charred boy disintigrates in front of you and you are left with a foul taste in your mouth and cigarette on your hands. The whispering loops and you sink into the ash below._


End file.
